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The Airwolfs and the Squids
Michael Briar transmits to Airwolf: Airwolf, this is Michael. Are you free? I need to talk to you about something you seem to be the resident expert on. Airwolf transmits to Michael Briar: That's an interesting bit of information, as I was looking to speak to you about something as well. Did Mr. Bryant, perhaps, pass on my request to you? Michael Briar transmits to Airwolf: Edward Bryant? No, I haven't seen him for a few days. It wasn't important, was it? It's not every day you come calling for me. Airwolf transmits to Michael Briar: I hope it isn't important. I overheard something on your frequency about a "squid". That's a term I've heard Terrans use for a Quintesson, and considering my paranoia about them, I wanted to check with you. I know Astracius had designs on Earth, and even though he's been reported dead... well, that Quintesson was deceiving us about his intentions, and he could have been deceiving us about Astracius as well. Michael Briar transmits to Airwolf: With the new wave of transmission interceptions that is going on, I'm not willing to risk this information over such unsecure lines. I'm willing to meet with you however. Airwolf transmits to Michael Briar: Very well. If you will grant me safe conduct, I will meet you wherever you like. Michael Briar transmits to Airwolf: Of course. Alameda landing field. We'll be there. I'll notify the defenses to stand down on your approach. Airwolf transmits to Michael Briar: Acknowledged. You fly downward to Alameda Alameda Alameda, formerly the site of the Naval Air Station and the associated Marine base, is now home to the newly formed EDC and its massive launching, recovery and repair facilities. The city seems to have adapted to the change rather well. The carriers, cruisers and destroyers formerly tied up alongside the piers have been replaced with hyper-sonic fighter craft, interplanetary interceptors and shuttles of all varieties, but the servicemen never change. The towers and hangars of the EDC shine brightly in the sun. Airwolf transmits to Michael Briar: I await you outside of the EDC Complex. Exo-Suit enters from the Main Complex to the south. Daniel Witwicky enters from the Main Complex to the south. Apocryphacius enters from the Main Complex to the south. Michael Briar leads this motley crew. He steps though the gate in his exo-suit but with weapons put away and/or powered down. Yeah, this is my pose. It's not much, but its mine. Airwolf has been waiting patiently for a while, watching the occasional passer-by take one look at her insignia and recall pressing business elsewhere. Lots of military hardware around, hopefully not pointed at her. Lots of unfriendly-looking servicemen as well; though they've been told of her presence, that doesn't mean they like it. Daniel walks in behind Michael, with no exo-suit and no weapons to speak of. He does have his razor sharp with though, and a nosiness that would make every cat in the galaxy freak out. Apocryphacius follows after Briar. He is a distinctly ill-looking Quintesson to someone who has seen enough Quintesson to be able to tell an ill one from a healthy. He's off-color, cracked, chipped, and rusted in patches. Apocryphacius is also wringing his tentacles. He can tell there's something wrong here, but he doesn't quite have all the pieces to the puzzle. Airwolf would really have appreciated a warning. Yes, she suspected that there might be a Quintesson spotted on Earth, but to suddenly face one after it emerges from the EDC complex is nerve-wracking in the extreme. Her crimson optics widen, and she takes a quick step back before regaining some control over her suddenly-quivering nerves. Fear crosses her face, closely followed by shame at that fear. This Quintesson doesn't look very good, but Primus knows what the fragile exterior may conceal. Then again, she may be paranoid. No, she IS paranoid, but she has good reason. "Er... I... I suppose this answers my question, General." Michael Briar notices Airwolf and walks towards her. He holds up both hands and says, "Apologies for the surprise Airwolf. But I was afraid you might do something rash, however remote the chance. I'd like to introduce you to Apocryphacius who is uinque for his race if you take a chance to know him. I was hoping you'd tell him about his race as you know them better than anyone I know." Daniel moves to stands next to one of the EDC guards. For once not the most unpopular person in the room for them. How refreshing, they don't want to shoot him first for once. He remains silent, but gives Airwolf a brief nod since he recoignises her from the UN. So she knows the Quintessons well huh, wonder how much suffering she went through for that knowledge. Apocryphacius notices Airwolf's fear at seeing him. It's almost Pavlovian. He stares down at his tentacles, suddenly feeling ashamed of himself, and mumbles, "I'm not so sure I want to know what I am anymore." There she is, a giant robot from space, looking pretty sturdy of build, and he scares her? His imagination races, and all he can conclude is that his people are *horrible.* More loudly, he declares, "I think I am more afraid of what you have to say than you are of me." Airwolf has to stop herself from edging away from the nightmarish figure, her gaze still fixed on him with horrified fascination. "Explain about his race...?" She looks away briefly, and Daniel's silent greeting reminds her of her manners. After returning his nod with a polite inclination of her head, she returns her gaze to Apocryphacius. "Greetings," she says with barely a quaver in her voice. "I am puzzled by your lack of knowledge, Apocryphacius." And by his reaction to her clear discomfort. More shame at being so obvious. "No, your kind has not been kind to me." Michael Briar just realises that might not have been a good idea. Everyone's feeling down, scared, or upset. He needs to perk up this meeting but doesn't. He'd probably be hit right about now. He says, "Apoc, the best way to show your people is to show their actions. I'm sorry you have to know, but if I kept it from you, it wouldn't be fair." He looks over at Airwolf and says, "Airwolf, Primus was a Quintesson according to some. So a good Quintesson isn't unheard of. This is a new opportunity for their race. A chance to start over." Apocryphacius rubs the top of his dome with a tentacle, wondering where to begin in explaining, when he doesn't know what going on, himself. He replies softly, "Er... hello. Yes. My apologies for what my species has done, whatever it may be. My first memory is of fire. Thereafter, I was met by the natives of the island. I lived with them for quite some time, working with their tribal healers. Upon dissection of the island's radio beacon, a repair crew arrived and subsequently ran away. Then I met... Michael," there, he used a short form, "and Daniel-Witwicky. They and a few others took me here." Airwolf bows her head, Briar's words reminding her of something she'd heard before... Her gaze flickers from Apocryphacius to Briar to Apocryphacius again. "I also apologize for my less-than-cordial attitude. I have reason for it, and that is apparently why General Briar asked me here. However, I will not fault you for what your species has done; not all of them are evil. You are a new creation, I take it." Michael Briar sighs inwardly and is glad this is going well. He unseals the exo-suit and climbs out before leaning up against it. He looks up at the Glaive II's optics and smiles, "I thought this was a good idea buddy." The Glaive II remains impassive but Briar nods as if the exo just said something. "Figured you'd see it my way too." he finishes before looking back at the conversation. Daniel continues simply watching events unfold. Afterall he is as curious as erm well himself about the Quintessons. He spots Michael exit the Glaive and seem to have a very brief conversation with it. Well that should be useful if he ever has to get Michael removed from duty, he can get him committed. Course then he might have to deal with Kenya, and he doubts a Benefactor will be happy to deal with him as nice as Briar does. Maybe convince the UN that their defence should not be left to someone from a different universe, yeah should work. Daniel shakes his head briefly, brining himself back from such thoughts and concentrate on listening to what Airwolf says about the Quintessons. Apocryphacius answers honestly, "I don't know if I'm new." Logically, he had to have crashed onto the island before the humans developed decent radar. "There were other Quintessons on the spaceship I was in. They are, however, dead. I found them in later explorations of the wreckage." And somewhere, he finds enough prudence not to mention taking them apart for parts. It's just an inkling, but he has this vague idea that would be considered really morbid. Airwolf doesn't have much that is nice to say about the Quintessons. "I first encountered one of your kind when he captured me on Cybertron. In my efforts to escape, I damaged one of his faces. He's pretty much been stalking me since then. He's tortured me a few times, but I always managed to escape. Later, during a Quintesson plot against the Decepticons, they tricked the rank and file into exiling their commanders, and arranged to capture the exile ship. For quite some time, they experimented on all of us, from out-and-out torture, to sensory deprivation, to an internal countdown to complete system failure. The only one out of that lot that I recall was Phaedros." Who she killed not too long after that. "They took great pleasure in the pain they caused us. Then there was the invasion of Cybertron; I was once again captured and witnessed the executions of a number of other hapless prisoners. I'm sure you're getting the point. However... I can speak fairly of Dealiticus, who left his own kind to pursue a life as a merchant. I believe he is still somewhere on Monacus... There are one or two others who haven't been focused on the torture of others as well, but that is why you will meet with some bias. Others have been harmed, and they will find it difficult to forgive you, even though it is not your fault." Apocryphacius covers his optics, all ten of them, as Airwolf speaks, shaking. There's a rather piteous whine to his repulsor field. After a bit of whimpering incoherently, he gasps, "Why? What... what is *wrong* with us? That sounds insane. Inhumane." After those few broken words, Apocryphacius clams up. So that's what he'd be if he hadn't... crashed, he guesses. It would be enough to make him weep, if he had any tears to shed. Michael Briar just listens between Airwolf and Apoc. He really felt he wasn't the one to explain these things to him. Plus, he's not a parent and this makes him feel like one more than anything. "Why?" Airwolf asks, a bit bitterly. "Because they can. Because they had in the past and wanted to regain those glory years when the Quintesson Empire was feared across the galaxy. Because they are ruthless and cannot see other life forms as equals, only as inferiors to be used and thrown away." She pauses in her little tirade and sighs, her red optics dimming, and then glances at Briar and Witwicky. "Yes, I am well aware that someone else is following the same pattern, though I can at least say that torture isn't as prevalent." Galvatron wasn't happy to hear that comparison from her, she recalls. Apocryphacius just mutters 'horrible' over and over again, rocking from side-to-side, tentacles clamped firmly over his optics. This is a particularly bad dream, right? Hesitantly, an idea hits him, and he switches faces. Hoping against hope, he asks, "Are you sure I am a Quintesson? Maybe there is a mistake here." Apocryphacius shifts to his oft-used Face of Light. Airwolf bows her head again, this time to ask Primus for patience. The creature is in denial, but can she really blame him? "Your kind is very distinctive, Apocryphacius. The body, the faces, the tentacles, the face-shifting ability, the hoverjet. Very unique. You are in rather poor condition compared to the others I've seen, but you are unmistakably a Quintesson. Remember what I've said, though; it is not a certainty that all of your kind is evil. Your culture supports the aforementioned ruthlessness and contempt for others, but you are not a part of that culture. I would advise that you go far, far from this galaxy, somewhere where your kind is unknown, and begin again without the onus of what the majority of your species has done." Michael Briar looks surprised about that. He says, "Are you sure? Wouldn't it be better for him to work on changing the views about his race here, where people know him?" Michael thinks about it for a second and says, "The EDC could provide protection and sanctuary to you." Apocryphacius slowly drops his tentacles from his optics, letting them hang limply by his sides. He shifts faces. This one is quite distinctive - spiked, almost crowned. Judgement. His voice is steadier than it has been as he replies, "How does a culture grow to be evil? The potential has to be there, there in its people. I am, as you say, a Quintesson. The potential is within me. If I run, if I forget, I may grow lax and also forget that I must be ever-vigilant to suppress my own capacity for evil. Besides, who would offer me safe transport instead of a rifle to the head?" He turns to Briar, considering. "My verdict..." Apocryphacius shifts to the Face of Judgement. Airwolf cocks her head and looks in Briar's direction. Now that's something she didn't expect to hear after Astracius made his last visit to Earth. Then her gaze returns to the Quintesson. "The old Terran debate about Nature vs. Nurture, eh? I tend to believe in the Nurture point of view, that one's personality is shaped by his or her environment. The decision is yours, of course, but you realize that most beings will hold your species against you. Bias is alive and well in the universe, including this planet. I cannot say about the Autobots' reactions, but I expect that the Decepticons will kill you if the opportunity presents itself. In any case, I wish you well in your endeavors." Michael Briar frowns, "The decepticons would kill anyone else that's in their way if the opportunity presents itself....ah, present company excluded Airwolf. Apoc wouldn't be any different in those reguards." Daniel nods as Michael makes his comment, "However he has a considerablke chance at living under EDC protection. Humans have a way of surviving no matter what gets thrown at us. And we do protect our friends." Specially those who may have ways to give us more advanced technology. Apocryphacius's faces slowly rotates back around to Light. "Innocent." Looks like nature is a little stronger than nurture, in some cases. "That is, the universe wants to kill me. Michael has offered me protection, and he has not killed me yet, despite the fact that... that my kind is so wretched. I would be dead if he had killed me, but I like to think that I would not blame him for killing me, knowing what I know. I can chance an unkind universe, or I can take what kindness has been offered, little as I may deserve it." Apocryphacius shifts to his oft-used Face of Light. Airwolf quietly points out to Briar, "In the case of a Quintesson, they would go *out* of their way. You may recall that they're even willing to work with Autobots where Quintessons are involved. But as long as you know the risks and still choose to take them..." She pauses to listen to Apocryphacius' decision, shaking her head regretfully, but then a horrifying notion striking her. With a more grim tone to her voice, she says to Apocryphacius, "The Quintessons may try to reclaim you, willing or not." Michael Briar shakes his head, "I don't kill the innocent. You are undeserving of death. It's the EDC's job to protect the innocent beings who call earth their home. Decepticons, the Quintesson empire remnant, doesn't matter to me. The only reason the Autobots worked with the Decepticons was for mutual protection. I doubt this would be the case here. The Autobots don't kill without just cause." Yeah...if you believe that, Briar has some prime beachfront property in the Arctic he wants to unload on you. Apocryphacius switches to the Face of Wrath, frustrated at his unwanted inheritance. He snarls, "You know I am here, Airwolf. A secret does not stay secret long. Should I run, what is to stop them from following? I would rather face my enemies with the knowledge that they are there than allow them to ambush me while I run. And if the Quintesson Empire reclaims me, let me be the apoptotic factor to their cancer!" With a furious buzz, Apocryphacius bares the Face of Wrath. Airwolf doesn't recall doing too well in her own attempt to convert the Decepticon Empire into something more honorable years ago, and seeing as the Quintessons are even worse, poor Apocryphacius should hope that he is never captured. At least she has finally met a Quintesson with some courage. "Your decision," she repeats. "Good luck to you."